made in the writing it over in Latin Being fent off in a time when I was otherwise bufy, I had no accefs to take a note of these things. However, it will give a view of the nature of the whole effay but it is not fit for the prefs.

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2. No body needs to be amufed at the fight of the chapters and fections of the fecond part, intitled, Obfervations, &c as if they contained fo many rules for the understanding the art itself. That is taught in the chapters or fections preceding respectively; and these are but fo many helps offered, for the practical use of the art, in order to reach the true fenfe of the facred text by means thereof: and therefore none of the books teaching the art, which have as yet come into my hands, had any thing in them of that kind. Besides, one who embraceth the notion of the fixed value of the accents, and withal underftands and obferves the five heads of rhetorical accentuation mentioned in the fpecimen, will hardly find a new labour, I hope, in thefe obfervations; but in reading attentively his Bible, will obferve the fenfe of texts accordingly, keeping these two things in his view.

3. If it shall please the fovereign difpofer of all things to make way for the printing of the Effay, it must be done from the Latin copy with me. But the printer muft view the Englifh copy, and take particular notice of the schemes and tables, which I conceive must be done in copperplate; as alfo of the feveral ftops, and marks of continuation, used in the Essay, that proper types may be got for them. These characters are to be found gathered together, and explained, in the English copy, after the title-page.'

There is among Mr Bofton's manufcripts an English copy of the Effay on the accentuation, written with his own hand in folio; but it is fo very different from the printed Latin copy, that it is fuppofed to be his first draught; and that he afterwards wrote a more full and perfect copy, the one mentioned in the above memorial, which probably was never returned from London, or perhaps was fent to Amfterdam, where the Latin copy was printed in 1738, and never got back.

N° 8. Letter from Dr Waterland to Mr G. p. 470. 1. 32. at Waterland.

Dear Sir,

I return you my hearty thanks for favouring me with these papers. I have read them over, and find them too deep for me to give a judgement of: for I have never yet entered into the heart of that fubject. But I fhall be mighty glad to read and confider a fet treatise upon it, that I may learn from it. It will be curious, ufeful, inftructive; and may ftrike new light

into several obfcure texts, though it should not entirely answer in all points. I muft own, I am at prefent a little prejudiced against the fuppofed antiquity of the Hebrew accents; but I fhall be always glad to fee the utmost that can be pleaded for it. Their use in clearing up texts muft, I believe, at last be their best commendation, and ftrongest proof of their antiquity. I know, that fome tolerable answers may be given to the arguments brought for their novelty; and I know again, that tolerable anfwers may be made to the arguments urged for their antiquity. Both fides are better at weakening each other's proofs, than at maintaining their own. But whatever becomes of the difpute about their antiquity or authority, if the use of them for understanding feripture can be clearly and uniformly made out, that will be fufficient, and will be also a ftrong prefumption for their being ancient.

I have feen what Buxtorf, Pfeiffer, Michael, and fome others, have pleaded in their favour. But of all the writers I have met with, none has expreffed himself with greater afsurance of their divine authority, and ineftimable use and value, than Gottfrid Icohlreiffius, in his Chronologia Sacra, published at Hamburg 1724; an octavo volume it is, pages 481. That gentleman has run very wide from the common chronology, and fets the year of Chrift, A. M. 4509. He builds his new chronology moftly upon the difcoveries made by the Hebrew accents, according to his rules of interpreting them. I fhould be mighty glad to know what this other curious gentleman would think of Icohlreiffius's rules and method, and how far their obfervations agree. I confefs I am no mafter at all of the science; but heartily wifh, that the fubject may be reduced to certain rules, that we learners may be able to judge when a perfon argues justly from the accents, and when not. In the prefent darkness I am under, I cannot do it.

It is now about fix years fince Peter Guarin, a Benedictine, published the firft tome of his Hebrew grammar, in 4to. The other tome, as I am informed by a letter from Paris, is just now published, or publishing. In this fecond tome, as I learn from the preface to the firft, will be a particular differtation upon the accents, with a large account of their use in the fynagogue-mufic. What other ufes he will take notice of, is not faid. I fuppofe your friend will be willing to fee what M. Guarin has upon the fubject. The book will be fent me over hither as foon as it can be had.

I fhall just fay a word or two upon what this gentleman has relating to Gen. iii. 8. in p. 6. I was of the fame opinion with Junius and Tremellius before, not upon account of the accents, which I understand not, but becaufe that conftruction appeared to me more natural than the other, and more reafonable. This gentleman further gives us a new interpreta

tion of Kol, which, I must own, I cannot readily come into. And I wonder a little why he fhould think, that Mithballech may not be metaphorically applied to a voice or a found, when himself gives inftances of fuch metaphorical application in other cafes; or why he fhould think it must be understood of a perfon here, (though there are inftances where it is not fo understood), and yet interpret Kol of a perfon, contrary to its common acceptation. I am afraid our adverfaries will think we ftrain hard to fetch in the xyes. And unless it can be ftrongly backed, and fubftantially made out, I fhould rather we did not. But perhaps this gentleman may have more to plead for fuch conftruction than I may be aware of; and therefore I fufpend my judgement of it. But it is time I fhould eafe you. I fhall only add, that I am hugely pleased with the piety, gravity, and dignity, of your general affembly's anfwer to his Majesty's letter. It is the more seasonable while our convocations are mute; and I hope will be of good ufe for keeping religion alive in these kingdoms, at a time when it appears much declining. I am, good Sir, your obliged humble fervant, DAN. WATERLAND.

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LETTERS to and from the AUTHOR.

No 9. Letters from the Rev. Mr Henry Davidfon late Minifter of the Gospel at Galashiels, to the Author.

March 25. 1728.

(1) Very dear Sir, YOUR two letters of the last month's date, breathing fo much of a kindly concern, and bearing so many seasonable advices, and relieving grounds of comfort, could not miss to be most acceptable to me, when plunged in the deep and this fhould have been acknowledged to you before this, but my indifpofition of body being confidered, will, I know, fufficiently plead the excufe of my delay.

Dear Sir, When there is a keeping in any measure from a defpifing of the Lord's chaftening, yet I find no fmall difficulty to bear off from the other rock, a fainting under his rebukes. Faith's views, that it is the Lord, will prove quieting. A right of his fovereignty, wifdom, righteoufnefs, and faithfulness, works up the foul into a holy acquiefcence in, and compofure under, the eternal decree, now revealed by the e

vent. But, O! how hard to believe a father's love it is with
us under trials, especially those of a complicated nature, or
that have some entangling efpecially in them, as it was with
the disciples when our Lord came upon the water in a tem-
peftuous night to their relief. They thought he was a fpirit;
fo we look upon God as an enemy, when he comes to fanctify
and fave. The promife reconciles the roughness of a father's
hand with the sweetness of his voice, and love of his heart.
He calls to his children, in the darkest night, "It is I, be not
"afraid." Our difquietments do enter at the door of unbe-
lief for in every cafe, however trying, joy and peace accom-
pany believing, and keep meafures with it. That heroic
grace performs furprifing atchievements under fharpeft trials,
as they ftand registered in Heb. xi.; and whatever our trials
are, the strength of the conflict lies betwixt faith and unbelief;
and as the balance fways towards the one or the other, fo is
the fituation in other regards. All goes backward, and to-
wards ruin, as unbelief prevails; for it carries its train a-
longft and did not our gracious God ftem the current from
time to time, and be the lifter up of the head, we would in-
fallibly fink beneath the ftream: nevertheless, upon the be-
gun recovery of faith, matters are accordingly fet at rights.
It is in this way that, in the Lord's ftrength, we are to look
out for his kind fcattering the clouds, and making us to hear,
and to give in to the voice of his rod. It is by faith the foul
must be moulded into a ferene compofure of mind, and a kind-
ly compliance with the Lord's heart-weaning methods of pro-
vidence. It is in this way of believing, that we must take up
with God alone for our portion and great all; and feek to
have all our loffes and wants made up and supplied in him
who has proclaimed himself God all-fufficient. — - D. Sir,
yours very affectionately,
H. DAVIDSON.

May 11. 1730.

(2) V. Dear Sir, YOURS bearing the refolve about the facrament came to hand fome weeks ago. Difficulties taking rife in holy wife Providence from your own circumftances, and likewife from thofe of your ordinary afliftants, I make no doubt, have caufed various thoughts not a little perplexing to every one of us: I would fain hope, the Lord on our head, as the breaker up going before, will make the way clear. When we are faying among ourselves, and within ourfelves, who fhall roll us away the ftone? he will poffibly thew us the ftone, though very great, rolled away. The account of your weaknefs, and your wife's direfs, gave me no little pain: infinite wifdom and love make all things work together for good; his ways and thoughts are above ours; in due tine, the perplexing riddles thall be fully expounded, and it fhall then be feen, what we are now to believe, that our God

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God and guide hath not taken one wrong ftep; and that un-
queftionably he had a very good reafon for whatever he did.
We must account that our Lord hath ever gone the best way
that could have been gone, in all that is past, and we should
have no doubting thoughts about what he will do afterwards.
D. Sir, I give you no trouble at present with any account of
my circumstances; may I be helped to wait on and not weary;
and may his rich bleffing make the afflicting rod fruitful.-
I remain, V. Dear Sir, Yours affectionately, H. DAVIDSON.
Galashiels, Dec. 30. 1730.

(3) V. Dear Sir,

To have owned my receipt of your kind letters, three of them with Mr Glafs's pamphlet, has been often refolved. The delay has been much owing to bodily disorder, by no means to a want of due refpect and gratitude. My long filence after your writing once and again made it appear neceffary to me to fay fo much by way of apology. The whole of our time is divided between fummer and winter, heat and cold, night and day, a conftant revolution there is of storms and a calm. There is a fhining beat ty in the conduct of Providence, that we are not always fed with honey, nor yet is our cup always filled with gall and wormwood. There is a wife mixture in our lot of light and fhade, as there is in ourselves of flesh and spirit ; there is the mixture of anger and love in the trials of the Lord's children, not the anger of an enemy intending ruin and hurt, as flowing from hatred and revenge; but the anger of a father, which is guided by wifdom, and tempered by love, intending the good of his offending child. It is a piece of prerogativeroyal, to have the power of life and death, which God referves to himself. He only knows when the appointed work is finished; he alone is fit to give the failing-orders, and affign the time when the fore toffed and fhattered veffel fhall be laid up in a fafe harbour.Very dear Sir, yours very affectionately, H. DAVIDSON.

Galafhiels, Feb. 25. 1732

(4) Very dear Sir, YOUR feveral letters came fafe to hand, and were very acceptable. This comes to inform you, that the good old woman my mother went home to her own, the better country, this morning betwixt three and four o'clock. She took her bed upon the Lord's day evening; had a fever pretty high, but retained all her fenfes to her dying hour. How cruel is our love! how blind and inconfiderate is our affection! we would prefer the small advantages or greater gains we reap from their abode with us, to their entire fatisfaction and compleat happiness; a very great but common folecifm in true friendship we are often guilty of. However frightful and ill-favoured death appear to the eye of fenfe, it is viewed by faith as the messenger of our heavenly

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